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The death of Justice Chima Centus Nweze of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the age of 65, is a great loss to the judiciary and Nigeria. According to the Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Dr. Akande Festus, Hon. Justice Chima Centus Nweze, (JSC), died on Saturday, 29th July 2023, after a brief illness.
Akande described Justice Nweze as a formidable ally of his brother Justices, an admirable pillar of support to the staff and management of the Supreme Court; and indeed, a dependable father figure to all. The late jurist was courageous, meticulous and of impeccable integrity. His decisions were adjudged to be robust and unassailable. Throughout his illustrious career as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nweze stood out as a reference point in justice delivery and left an indelible mark on the country’s jurisprudence and defence of the rule of law.
His dissenting judgement in the Imo State governorship election review case was outstanding and many Nigerians applauded him for his fearlessness and forthrightness. In that particular case, Nweze held that the apex court had the power to revisit or review its decisions. Ihedioha had asked the apex court to review its judgement on his removal from office but while majority of the seven-man panel disagreed with him, Chima Nweze, found merit in the application. Nweze asked the court to set aside the January 14, 2020 judgment that removed Ihedioha from office, describing it as a nullity and in bad faith.
However, his lead judgment in the 3-2 split decision case, on the Ahmad Lawan v. Bashir Machina case, which returned Lawan, former Senate President, as the APC Senatorial candidate for the Yobe North Senatorial District, when he reportedly did not participate in the primary, did not go down well with most Nigerians and his teeming admirers. But, it did not substantially lower his respect among Nigerians.
Since his passage, notable Nigerians, including legal luminaries have eulogised his sterling qualities. The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, described the deceased an astute and erudite jurist. Maikyau holds that His lordship’s numerous decisions have shaped, impacted and developed our law and jurisprudence. He was a disciplined, hardworking, and courageous judicial officer. Similarly, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) said, ‘the late Justice Nweze was an exceptionally outstanding jurist of impeccable credentials. His legacy continues to inspire the Nigerian legal and non-legal community. His resolute, unfluctuating and untrammeled erudition, deep commitment to justice, exceptional legal acumen, penetrating lucidity and fecundity of mind and thought, and his unwavering integrity and character, have all combined to set a very high standard and benchmark for his peers and future generations yet unborn.’
Justice Nweze, an indigene of Obollo-Afor in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State was born on September 25, 1958. He obtained LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D degrees in Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1983, 1995 and 2001 respectively. He served as a Judge of the High Court of Enugu State, and later, Justice, Court of Appeal. He was also the Chairman, Second Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Nsukka. Justice Nweze was an Adjunct Professor in International Law and International Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and the Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. He was an Associate Professor of Law at Ebonyi State University.
Justice Nweze was a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Enugu State, from 1995 to 2007; Justice of the Court of Appeal from 2008 to 2014; and was elevated to the Supreme Court Bench on 29 October 2014, where he served until his death. Before his appointment to Nigeria Supreme Court, he distinguished himself in the legal profession, as a successful legal practitioner, an erudite judge, and a notable academic. He had many publications to his credit.
We commiserate with his family, colleagues, the people and the government of Enugu State, the Supreme Court and the judiciary on his sudden exit. May God grant him eternal repose.
